To better understand mechanisms that underlie the formation of the mammalian central nervous system and its functional and anatomical adjustments in response to experience, processes central to mental health, the Silvio Conte Center for Neuroscience Research at UCSF plans to study synaptic plasticity and its modulation by transmitters such as serotonin, neuronal survival and organization regulated by neurotrophins, and specification of cell fate and identity of neurons during their formation. The strategy is to employ organisms amenable to genetics for the characterization of genes important for neural development, to use molecular technologies for the study of ion channels, neurotrophins and transmitter receptors, and to pursue mechanistic analysis of synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus of the mammalian brain. These studies are relevant for the development of antidepressant, antiemetic and antipsychotic drugs, the design of regimen to reduce or remedy neuronal damage during ischemia or anoxia, or in the course of neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and parkinson's disease. Recent prospective studies reveal that schizophrenia manifests itself in behavioral abnormalities early in life, indicating that it is a developmental disorder. Thus, therapy for such mental disorders may also benefit from better mechanistic understanding of neural development and function.